The Butcher and the Wren

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses graphic violence and potentially disturbing themes related to a serial killer and his crimes.

The role of the forensic pathologist is thoroughly explored through both Wren and Jeremy’s perspectives. Wren’s view of her job as a forensic pathologist is unique: she sees herself as an advocate for the dead. Regardless of what is happening in her life, she views herself as responsible for carrying and relaying the stories of the bodies that end up on her table. Even after her discovery of the bracelet and its catastrophic implications, she still views Emma’s autopsy as “Emma’s time to speak, not Wren’s time to grieve” (164). She separates her emotions from her work, though she keeps her empathy in her back pocket. Empathy is crucial to her understanding of her role. She must have empathy for the victims and their experiences, but also for their loved ones who need answers. Wren’s empathy weighs heavily on her, but it also allows her to listen more closely to the people on her table—the people who are ready to speak to her. Urquhart hence conveys that the forensic pathologist’s job reaches beyond the scientific and can do spiritual and emotional good, too.